Controversial S#!T

Meghan Markle might've thought her "Deal or No Deal" days were chock-full of misogyny -- but she was pretty into the deals she found in Montecito Friday ... or a lack thereof, rather.

The Duchess was shopping at a swanky luxury boutique in her backyard with a friend and security guard/driver in tow. She was looking pretty chic, but apparently wanted some new threads from a place she was happy to advertise on the way out ... bag-flashing for days.

The store she went to is quite high-end -- so much so, you can't even view their catalog on the web for a price point. All they seem to offer in their "Shop Online" category are gift cards, ranging from $100 to $1000 ... so that gives you an idea of how uppity it is.

In other words ... she probably didn't get much of a deal here, not like her briefcase days -- when she says she felt objectified over her looks and made out to be a "bimbo."

Anyhoo -- check out how Meghan handled herself when she was getting out of there ... she tries to open the door for herself, but her driver insists on getting it, which she lets him do.

It's interesting ... this is apparently one of the things that the Royals and/or their staff had a major problem with while she was working for them -- namely, that she broke a ton of little protocols ... including taking the lead or getting her own door, stupid stuff like that.

Blame Halloween or Netflix, or both ... but a Texas pizzeria is cutting off a slice of the ghoulish Jeffrey Dahmer fascination -- which is pissing off some people and drawing others into the joint.

Capital Pizza in Lubbock is now proudly displaying an almost literal hot mess -- it's called the "Jeffrey Dahmer Special." Yes, that's a finger and eyeball surrounded by what looks like blood and guts.

It's not real, of course, but the imagery alone is making some people lose their appetite. The restaurant's manager tells TMZ ... one of his servers came up with the concept in honor of Halloween, and the immensely popular Netflix series.

He says the pie is just ramen noodles, pepperoncini garnish ... along with the prop body parts and a whole lot of fake blood. Even though it's not on the menu -- it's just a prop in the pizzeria's window -- many customers have complained it's in poor taste.

The manager says they've had it out there for about 3 weeks, and while they've had complaints, lots of other customers love it -- coming in to have their kids take photos with the display. It's spooky season, after all.

However, the marketing move comes amid lots of controversy over Dahmer being celebrated as some sort of folk hero -- instead of a mass murdering monster -- spurred by Netflix telling his story in what many deem a very sympathetic light.

Kanye West is shrugging off brands cutting ties with him, and insists he can't be canceled -- but if he is, he says that only proves the dangerous antisemitic tropes he's been spewing.

The embattled billionaire held an oddly-timed news conference of sorts -- as he left his daughter North West's basketball game Friday night, he stopped to take questions from the crowd of paparazzi.

Right off the bat, Ye addressed Balenciaga dropping him ... saying it was no big deal to him because they weren't paying him anything. In fact, he dismissed the fashion giant's move as purely PR, saying ... "I think people just try to score points" -- and he thinks Balenciaga, LeBron James, Maverick Carter and "Drink Champs" host N.O.R.E. are all guilty of it.

He bemoaned the fact LeBron's producing partner Maverick had yanked "The Shop" episode he shot with them. Remember, Maverick said they pulled it because they didn't want to give Ye a platform to spew "hate speech."

N.O.R.E. did the same with the most recent 'Champs' episode where Kanye went on his antisemitic rant, including his claim the Jews who run Hollywood had screwed him over.

While the rapper and designer has already been widely called out for repeating many of the same theories Hitler did ... Kanye said something Friday night that was classic Nazism.

Ye claimed any backlash against him was only happening because of Jewish people. He said, "I want to talk about the Jewish comment. It's actually proving the exact point that I made. So many actors been bullied behind the scenes."

He then referenced the CEO of Endeavour talent agency's call for Hollywood to cut ties with Ye. He said, "So you got Ari Emanuel asking people to not do business with me. That's how this town been running for so so long. They'll mute you at all costs."

This new claim -- that anyone who denounces him is only doing so at the behest of Jewish people -- is EXACTLY, almost word for word, what Hitler and the Nazis said anytime there was international opposition to their tactics.

Let that soak in, and take note that Ye also strongly hinted he will indeed run for office -- he was wearing his 2024 cap. The whole interaction kinda looked and felt like a campaign stop.

A guy running for a seat on a local Indiana school board might just be out -- suggesting some Nazis were good dudes ... and comparing them to misunderstood anti-vaxxers of today.

Dr. Matt Keefer, who's in the hunt for a Zionsville Community Schools Board of Trustees post, made the inflammatory comment on Facebook this week while apparently going back and forth with someone about Nazis ... only to then defend said Nazis.

He wrote, "All Nazis weren’t ‘bad,’ as you specify. They did horrible things. They were in a group frenzy in both cases you site (sic). Who is to say if we were both there in the same place and same time, that we wouldn’t have done the same thing."

Keefer went on to say Nazis were victims of "presentism" -- judging old acts by today's standards -- and said maybe one day ... we'd look back at Covid differently, specifically when it comes to folks who threw such a fit about it during the pandemic.

He finishes by saying ... "History is written by the victors. No other candidate will talk about the issues like I will." Later, after a ton of backlash, Keefer doubled down in his sentiment that not all Nazis were bad -- but in the same breath, denied being a Nazi sympathizer.

Kanye West's Yeezy shoes have always been just as popular on the resale market as they've been in stores -- but there's a clear shift happening, with many resellers hesitant to make any moves until Adidas announces its position on Ye.

We spoke with several experts involved in the resale market who tell us there are three major factors that will impact how the shoes will move in the immediate future.

1. Will Adidas continue its relationship with Kanye?
2. Will the public forgive Kanye for his comments?
3. If Kanye releases music/merch, how will it be received?

Sneaker expert Remo of Walk Like Us tells us if Adidas ends the partnership, the market will explode, because the shoes will not be produced in mass quantities anymore. This waiting period for Adidas has caused many resellers to hold onto stock in hopes of cashing in if Adidas cuts ties.

Worst case scenario for resellers, we're told, is if Adidas stays on with Ye -- but the public refuses to forgive him -- because then shoe values will plummet.

Kanye West's high fashion connections are dissolving around him -- Vogue's big boss wants nothing to do with him now after his erratic behavior and antisemitic rants.

Anna Wintour, the fashion bible's famed editor-in-chief, has no intentions of working with Ye again ... ending a more than decade-long relationship between them that was both business and personal.

A Vogue spokesperson told Page Six. Ye's unveiling of his 'White Lives Matter' T-shirts in Paris and his subsequent railing against Jewish people were too much for Wintour.

West and Wintour have been tight ever since she invited him to the Met Gala in 2009 -- and Anna would eventually feature Kanye and Kim Kardashian's 2014 wedding on a Vogue cover.

Just last month, the Vogue honcho even modeled Ye's new sunglasses ... a move that came just weeks before Ye's now infamous Paris Fashion Week show -- the one where he debuted the 'WLM' tees.

Even after that, Anna tried to foster reconciliation between one of her editors, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, and Ye.

Gabriella and the Yeezy founder got into it on social media when she was critical of his 'WLM' stunt ... and he ripped her fashion sense, claiming Anna would hate a pair of boots Gabriella was photographed wearing.

Anna has reportedly told everyone at Vogue ... Kanye's been cut out of the mag's inner circle. This would seemingly mean no more Met Gala invites, cover shoots or Fashion Week coverage for Ye.

Vogue's move comes on the day after Balenciaga ended its relationship with Ye.

Turns out the day care workers facing felonies in Mississippi for terrorizing little kids in a horror mask weren't the first to do so ... but their penalty is certainly much more severe.

Check out this resurfaced clip from Shirley's Victorious Learning Center in Florida from 2016 when someone dressed as Freddy Krueger torments a group of youngins. The kids scatter, screaming and crying ... as someone else, presumably an employee films the whole thing.

While the old clip might deliver the same scare as the clip out of Mississippi, the owner of Shirley's told WJAX-TV parents knew it was going to happen, and no complaints were filed.

As we reported, the 5 day care workers in Mississippi weren't so lucky after a clip of one of them in a Halloween horror mask scaring kids went viral.

Kanye West has just had one of his most important relationships in the fashion world ended ... Balenciaga has reportedly cut ties with Ye.

According to Women's Wear Daily, Kering, the French fashion house parent company to Balenciaga has released a statement saying, "Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist."

While the statement did not expand further, you have to imagine the decision was made after Kanye's repeated antisemitic attacks and controversies over the past few months.

Kanye and Balenciaga have a long history, and most recently partnered for a Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga collection that sold like wildfire.

Kanye also opened Balenciaga's Paris Fashion Week show, walking the runway -- and generating a ton of attention for the brand.

Of course, Kanye still has a multi-billion-dollar deal with Adidas -- a partnership the brand has reportedly said was "under review."

The parents whose children got the crap scared out of them by Mississippi day care workers pushed hard for those adults to get hit with serious crimes, and it ultimately worked ... according to law enforcement.

Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook, who is spearheading the criminal investigation, tells TMZ ... 3 sets of parents ran to the County Courthouse to demand felony child abuse charges. They made it clear they thought the behavior was too egregious for misdemeanor charges.

As we reported ... 4 women are each facing 3 counts of felony child abuse over the video showing at least one worker terrifying kids from behind a scary mask.

Crook says child abuse was the only felony charge under state law that seemed to fit the allegations.

A fifth day care worker is facing 2 misdemeanor charges -- failure to report abuse and simple assault -- and the day care owner has reportedly fired all of the employees involved.

Crook says folks in the community alerted cops to the videos by forwarding links, and after viewing the footage ... he assigned an investigator to begin a criminal probe.

James Corden has retracted the apology he made to an NYC restaurant owner earlier this week ... 'cause he's now saying he did nothing wrong.

'The Late, Late Show' host sat down with the New York Times Thursday and called allegations "silly" ... he acted like a "Cretin" by twice going nuts at Balthazar brasserie in Soho.

"I haven't done anything wrong, on any level. So why would I ever cancel this," Corden told an NYT reporter, referring to their interview after his embarrassing restaurant flap.

Corden goes on ... "I was there. I get it. I feel so Zen about the whole thing. Because I think it's so silly. I just think it's beneath all of us. It's beneath you. It's certainly beneath your publication."

At another point during the interview ... Corden peered over to a customer complaining about her meal in the swanky Mark Restaurant.

"Happens every day," Corden told the reporter. "It's happening in 55,000 restaurants as we speak. It's always about eggs."

Then he got serious ... "Can you imagine now, if we just blasted her on Twitter? Would that be fair? This is my point. It’s insane.”

As we reported ... Corden came under fire Monday after Balthazar owner Keith McNally blasted the funnyman on IG for twice acting like a "tiny Cretin of a man." McNally banned Corden from his restaurant, dubbing the TV host "the most abusive customer" ever. That prompted Corden to call McNally and apologize profusely. As a result, McNally lifted the ban.

Your move, Keith.

Kanye West is catching heat for using the r-word to describe President Biden ... condemned by folks who advocate for folks with Down syndrome and disabilities.

Ye lashed out at Biden in his interview with Piers Morgan, saying POTUS is "f***ing r-word" for not seeking input from Elon Musk, and now the epithet is sparking outrage.

Jordan Kough, Executive Director of the National Down Syndrome Congress, tells TMZ ... the r-word is hateful to all people with disabilities, and it's very disappointing to see Kanye embrace it. Even worse, Kough believes Ye knows it's highly offensive.

The NDSC says the r-word strips humanity from folks with disabilities ... and Kough is encouraging Kanye, and others with big platforms, to consider the power of their words.

Over at the National Disability Rights Network, Kanye's losing tons of support. Executive Director Marlene Sallo says disability advocates appreciated when Kanye once said his bipolar disorder was his superpower, but now those same people are super upset to see Ye use an "outdated and hateful" word.

The NDRN is going a step further ... calling for Kanye to apologize. Good luck with that.

Ye's also being denounced by the National Down Syndrome Society ... a rep there tells us the r-word has no place in public discourse, regardless of whether it's aimed at someone with a disability or not.

As we reported, Kanye's on a tear against lots of groups ... making a slew of antisemitic remarks ... most recently during his chat with Piers, when he stated he only wanted to go "death con 3" on Jews who have screwed him over.

Peter Rosenberg says it's startling to hear Kanye West drop his name during his antisemitic rants, but doesn't believe Kanye has the ability to influence folks enough to cause harm.

The famous radio DJ joined us on "TMZ Live" and talked about Kanye singling him out, and if there was a reason for Kanye's ire ... like, for example, being snubbed from an interview.

Ye claims Jewish people in the media are trying to blackball him and keep him from being interviewed, but Peter says there's no real reason for Kanye to have a bone to pick with him and his Hot 97 radio station. For Peter, it's just baseless bigotry from Kanye.

As you know ... Kanye has been going after Jewish people a lot recently, and Peter says the antisemites are starting to come out of the woodwork, telling us it's a scary situation for him and other Jewish people because he says it's similar to what happened at the start of the Holocaust.

While Peter says he sees and hears all the noise, he's got his fingers crossed Kanye won't be able to steer folks into doing something really bad to Jewish people ... pointing to Ye's political track record.

Ari Emanuel, CEO of William Morris Endeavor, has some stern advice for any companies still doing business with Kanye West ... telling them to back out of their deals following his antisemitic comments.

Emanuel issued the warning in an op-ed posted by the Financial Times Wednesday ... urging companies associated with Kanye to stop working with him -- including streaming services like Apple and Spotify that have his music available on their platforms.

He even points to Parler -- a conservative-leaning social media app that the rapper is planning to purchase ... telling them to refuse the sale.

Emanuel talks about Kanye's impact on society, writing "He is a pop culture icon with millions of fans around the world ... and among them are young people whose views are still being formed. This is why it is necessary for all of us to speak out. Hatred and antisemitism should have no place in our society, no matter how much money is at stake.”

Tom Brady has just issued an apology for comparing the NFL season to military deployment ... admitting Thursday afternoon that it was all a "poor choice of words."

Brady actually interrupted a reporter at the beginning of his Buccaneers press conference to deliver the mea culpa -- saying he wanted to express to everyone who "may have taken it in a certain way" that he was sorry.

Brady initially made the war-themed comments during his "Let's Go!" podcast on Monday ... while talking with Kevin Durant about the struggles he's encountered when trying to balance work and pleasure in the middle of a season.

"I almost look at like a football season like you're going away on deployment for the military," Brady said. "And it's like, 'Man, here I go again.'"

The remarks were hit with backlash almost immediately, with many on social media calling them tone-deaf. Army veteran Brad Thomas, who fought in Black Hawk Down, even took to his Instagram page to blast the quarterback over it all.

"Hey @tombrady - this statement is naive and offensive on many levels," he wrote. "You play a game, for entertainment, and seem to have lost your perspective."

Brady clearly felt bad about everything ... looking downtrodden as he delivered his apology Thursday.

Billboard's hot take -- forecasting the downfall of Hip-Hop/R&B smash hits -- angered many fans in both communities because it lumps the 2 genres together, and you can count Eric Bellinger in that pissed-off set.

The Grammy-nominated singer thinks Billboard's classification is wrong, but says rappers and singers are blurring the lines … making it easy for the charts to do the same.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Eric at Babyface’s “Girl's Night Out” party, where he told us the solution is simple: R&B singers and songwriters need to slow down their tempo to break away from being confused with rap tracks.

In Eric’s humble opinion, rappers can’t sing worth a lick and are going crazy with Auto-Tune on their vocals to mask the fact.

He says it’s up to today’s singers to lead the charge, and says his new single “Obsession” is a prime example of the wave his fellow R&B artists need to ride going forward.

Eric has the stats to back up his big talk … having racked up major collaborations with Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Usher, Brandy and dozens of others stars in the biz.

Mike Pence got hit with a simple question -- if Trump's the nominee, would his former Veep vote for him? -- there are 2 ways to interpret his answer, and one is shocking!

Pence gave a speech at Georgetown University Wednesday about what's in store for conservatism in America.

Someone in the crowd asked how he'd cast his vote in 2024 if Trump gets the nod from Republicans. There was immediate laughter and Pence paused for a few seconds.

He said, "There might be somebody else I'd prefer more."

Now, you could view his answer as a hope and a prayer Trump doesn't get the nom ... especially since Pence seems like he'll be running for Prez.

But, the question isn't who should get the Republican nomination ... it's would you vote for Trump in the general election if HE gets the nom. So, to be literal, Pence is saying he might vote for the Democratic nominee over Trump.